 "American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi redirected to Rome due to security alert")
An American Airlines aircraft from New York to New Delhi, India, arrived safely in Rome on Sunday afternoon after being diverted due to a security issue that turned out to be “non-credible,” according to the airline.
American Airlines stated that Flight 292 “was inspected by law enforcement” after arriving at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport and was “cleared to re-depart.”
It did not specify the source of the security issue, but stated that an examination was necessary by protocol before the flight could land in New Delhi.
“The flight will stay in Rome overnight to allow for required crew rest before continuing to Delhi as soon as possible tomorrow,” the airline said.
An Associated Press reporter captured footage of two fighter planes flying above the airport immediately before the unplanned landing. Following the plane’s landing, fire trucks could be seen on one side of the runway.
One of the passengers on board, Neeraj Chopra, said the pilot declared that the plane had to turn back approximately three hours before it was scheduled to land in New Delhi due to a change in “security status.”
Chopra, who was flying from Detroit, Michigan to see relatives, described the atmosphere on the plane as peaceful following the original statement, but claimed he became anxious when the captain subsequently informed that fighter planes would be escorting their flight to Rome.
“I felt a little panic of, okay, what’s going on here?” Chopra told the AP. “There’s got to be like something bigger going on here.”
Passenger Jonathan Bacon, 22, from Dayton, Ohio, started paying attention to the flight tracker on the seatback in front of him after the captain’s announcement of a “diversion due to a security issue,” observing the plane’s sharp turn away from New Delhi and route back toward Rome.
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View AllPassengers had no internet connection for much of the flight, Bacon said, with only some spotty access that clued them into early reports of the situation about two hours before landing.
After landing, Bacon said all passengers were loaded onto buses and taken to the terminal, where each passenger and their personal items underwent additional security screenings that were time-consuming and felt “slightly heightened,” especially for arrivals. More than two hours after landing, Bacon and his friend said they were still waiting for their checked baggage, which they said was also undergoing security screenings.
“It was definitely the longest flight to Europe I’ve ever taken,” Bacon said.
A spokesperson for the airport said it was continuing to operate normally.
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